Homer p



(No Model.)

H. P. ()LMSTEAD.

BUSTLE.

No. 383,903. Patented June 5, .1888.

W701, ess e 5 O W fi NiTE TATES HOMER P. OLMSTEAD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BUSTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,903, dated June 5, 188:8.

Application filed August 30,1587. Serial No. 248,256. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LHoMER P. OLMSTEAD,Of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Bnstles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to those bustlcs of smaller size which are composed, principally, of a number of approximately semicircular hoops, all secured together at each end by a single pivot or riv'et,0r at a single point, from which they radiate, and in which the waistband is attached to the bent or curved top portion of the first hoop of the series,so that that first hoop will stand in asubstantially vertical position. It is desirable that such bustles should be collapsible, so that when a person wearing one sits down the bustle shall be collapsed and not be objectionable; and it is furthermore desirable that such bustlesbe con structed so that when the wearer rises and pressure is no longer exerted upon the bustle it will expand and resume its normal shape. To give this spring action to the bustle, separate spiral springs and also flat springs have been employed; but the object of my invention is to construct the bustle so that the collapsing movement of the hoops will produce a torsional action in them, or will by their bending give them such resilience as will cause them to return to their normal position and produce the expansion of the bustle.

To this end the invention consists in the combination, in a bustle, with approximately semicircular hoops secured together at each end by a single rivet or pin, from which they radiate, of a waistband secured to the bent or curved top portion of the first hoop, and braces applied to the hoops inward of their ends to connect each hoop with the next in the series, the braces on the sides being unconnected with each other save by the aforesaid hoops, and serving to prevent the collapsing movement of the hoops where they are applied, and by so v doing to produce a torsional or bending action of the hoops by their collapsing movement be tween the braces. These braces may consist of strips which extend across the hoops of the bustle at a short distance inward of the pins or rivets which secure the hoops together at their ends, and which act to retain the hoops at these points in their normal or extended position by rivets which are inserted through the bracing-strip and through or betweenthe hoops, as I shall hereinafter describe; or the braces may be formed by rivets inserted each through a hoop,and against the head of which the next adjacent hoop bears.

.Where bracing-strips are employed ,they are preferably arranged in pairs, one of each pair of strips being applied to the outer sides and one to the inner sides of the hoops, and this construction is especially desirable when the hoops are made of round wire, whalebone, 0r rattan,as with a double brace or pair of braces the rivets for securing the hoops thereto may be inserted between the hoops and be properly held.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a bustle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is asectional view upon the plane of the dotted line a m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the lower portions of the hoops of the bustle, to which a pair of bracingstrips are applied; and Fig. 4 is a sectional View upon the dotted line y 3 Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side view of the lower portion of the hoops, showing the braces as consisting of simple rivets inserted each through a hoop and against which the edge of the adjacent hoop bears; and Fig. 6 is an edge View of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Similar letters of reference designate corre sponding parts in all the figures.

A designates the several approximately semicircular hoops which are comprised in the hustle, and which are here represented as four in number, and these hoops are all secured together at each end at a single point by a single pivot or rivet, a.

B designates the waist portion of cloth at tached to the hustle, and from which the strips B extend; and O designates the tapes or cloth straps which are usually secured to the hoops, as by eyelets or rivets c, at about the points where the hoops are most distant from each other.

Although the hoops in a bustle of this character are most commonly and by preference made of what is known as twin wire, formed by two narrow flat wires extending parallel with each other and having paper or cloth be tween them, the whole being covered with muslin or other material, to form an integral strip. These hoops may be made each of a simple flat wire, or round wire, or rattan, or whalebone without departing from my invention. It is of course necessary that when the wearer of the bustle sits down the hoops should have acollapsing movement, so that the bustle will not be in the way, and when the wearer rises the hoops should be caused to resume their normal position or have an expanding movement so far as permitted by the tapes 0. To secure this spring action of the bustle, which causesitsexpansion,lapplyto thehoops, near the rivets or pivots a, braces which prevent any collapsing action of the hoops at the points where they are applied, but permit. a collapsing action of the hoops throughout the principal part of their length and between the braces and limit the collapsing movement of the hoops to such portions.

It will be seen that inasmuch as the hoops.

are held against any collapsing movement at the points where the braces are applied the collapsing movement of the hoops between the braces must result in a bending or torsional action of the hoops resulting from their collapsing movement.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a single bracingstrip, D, extends across the hoops, and is secured by rivets d to each hoop. Where the hoops are made of twin wire the rivets d may be inserted between the steel members of the twin wire and directly through the cloth covering them; but in such cases it is preferable to have the headsof the rivets d large enough to lap upon the steel edge portions of the twin wires,asshownin Fig. 1,and so form amore rigid and durable connection. The inserting of the rivetsdirectlythrough allofthehoopsis very desirable, because it permits the tapes 0 to be dispensed with and the bustle to be slightly cheapened but if the tapes are used it may be necessary to rivet the bracing-strips to the outside hoops only, leaving the two intermediate hoops A to be maintained in position relatively to the other hoops by the tapes 0.

As shown in Fig. 2, the bracing-strip D is applied to the outside only of the hoops A; but I may,if desired,apply such bracing-strips in pairs, one member of each pair being upon the inside of the hoops and the other member of each pair being upon the outside thereof, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This application of the bracing-strips in pairs is advantageous, because it permits the rivets d, if desired, to be inserted between the hoops, as shown in Fig. 3, instead of through the hoops A, and it is an advantage where the hoops are made of whalebone, rattan, round wire, or of simple flat wires.

In the example of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the braces are formed by simple rivets d, inserted separately, each through a hoop'adjacent to the pivot or rivet a and bearing against the edge of the next adjacent hoop;

and it will be readily understood that these rivets constitute braces to prevent any collapsing movement of the hoops at the points where they are applied.

Now, it will be understood that inasmuch as there can be no collapsing movement in this bustle at the points where the braces are appliedthat is to say, at the rivets d--a collapsing movement of the principal portion of the length of the hoops, which is between the braces on opposite sides, must produce a bending of the hoops from the points d, and such bending of the hoops gives them elasticity or resilience, if they be of springy material, sufiicient to return to their normal expanded position (shown in Fig. 1) as soon as pressure upon the bustle is removed by the wearer rising. If the hoops are made of round wire or rattan, the collapsing movement of them will produce simply a bending of the hoops in the direction indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1; but if the hoops be of flat strips-such as simple flat wire or twin wire-such collapsing movement produces a torsional action in each one of them and causes the quick expansion of the bustle.

The sides of the bustle may be connected bya strap, 8, as is usual.

I am aware that bustlcs similar in character to mine, except for the braces, have been made and provided with special springs for expanding them. Such b-ustles are shown in United States Patents, granted to Basch, August 2, 1887, No. 367,585, and Fraser, May 31, 1887, No. 364,003, and I do not desire to include anything shown therein as of my invention. In the Basch patent spiral springs are coiled around the pivot-pins connecting the hoops and attached at opposite ends to the end hoops of the series, and in the Fraser patent the two flat spring strips are attached to the middle of the lower portion of the bustle and bear with their outer free ends against the middle part of the lower hoop. My meaning will now be clear when I remark that by the braces connecting each hoop with the hoop next in the series I secure the same resilience for expansion in the bustle without any springs whatever other than the hoops.

I am also aware of Patent, granted to A. V. Thomas, July 15, 1873, No. 140,966, and do not claim the bustle shown therein as included in myinvention. In that patent the semicircular hoops do not have their ends all con nected by a single pin or rivet, but are secured side by side, each by a separate pin or rivet. It will also be seen that in thatpatent the waistband extends from the ends of the hoops, while in my bustlethe waistband extendsfrom the bent'or curved top portion of the first hoop. The consequence of this difference in the point of attachment in the waistband is that in my bustle the first hoop of the series occupies a substantially upright position, while in the Thomas bustle the hoops occupy a substantially horizontal position, or a position trans- IIS verse to the height of the wearer. It will also be observed that in the Thomas bustle the strips D upon opposite sides of the bustle, which are riveted to the hoops, are connected together by an additional hoop, while in my bustle the braces upon opposite sides are unconnected with each other.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a bustle, the combination, with the approximately semicircular hoops A, secured together at each end by a single pin or rivet, of a waistband connected with thebentorcurved upper portion of the first hoop, and braces applied to the hoops inward of their ends to connect each hoop with the next in the series, the braces on opposite sides of the bustle being unconnected with each other save by the hoops A and serving to prevent the collapsing move ment of the hoops where they are applied and by so doing to produce a torsional or bending action of the hoops by their collapsing movement between the braces, substantially as herein described.

2. In a bustle, the combination,with the approximately semicircular hoops A, all secured together at 'each end by a single pin or rivet, a, of awaistband, B, extending from the bent or curved top portion of the first hoop A, and the bracing-strips D, applied in pairs to the outer and inner sides of thohoops A inward of their ends, and serving to prevent the collapsing movement of the hoops at the point where applied, and serving, by limiting the collapsing movement of the hoops to the portions between the braces, to produce a torsional action or bending of the hoops between said bracingstrips, the pairs of bracing-strips D on opposite sides of the bustle being unconnected with each other, substantially as herein described.

HOMER P. OLMSTEAD.

Witnesses:

O. HALL, FREDK. HAYNES. 

